Jonathan Ross Explains Backstory Behind “Tasteless” David Walliams Joke

British TV presenter Jonathan Ross has landed himself in some hot water over the past week for his past association with both David Walliams and Russell Brand. The Guardian and ITV News’ report into allegations against Walliams including from teenagers referenced a joke Ross made at the 2004 British Comedy Awards. “The comedy awards is 15 years old – 15 years old! And like most 15-year-olds, it’s drunk, it’s unpredictable and it’s probably going home with David Walliams,” Ross joked at the time. Ross addressed the joke and the broader allegations this morning, saying in a statement he is “as horrified by the revelations about David Walliams and the crimes of Russell Brand as the rest of the nation.” Ross said the “tasteless joke that I would not dream of making today about anyone” was submitted to him by the Comedy Awards writing team at the time. Watch on Deadline “I believed that the punchline was a reference to the fact he had publicly dated younger women, exaggerated for comic effect,” said Ross. “Had I had any reason to suspect that it might be referring to actual events, I would not only have refused to use it, but I would not have felt comfortable continuing a personal or professional relationship with him. I also like to think that I would have acted upon that knowledge.” Ross’ association with Walliams and Brand has been scrutinized in recent days. Along with the Comedy Awards joke, The Guardian published an image of Ross with Walliams at a charity quiz. In the photo, Ross is sat at a table while Walliams has his arm around an 18-year-old who accused Walliams of “pleading with me to share a bed with him” and “putting his head in my lap and making me stroke his head.” There is no suggestion that Ross was aware of any of the behavior Walliams has been accused of. Ross’ past association with Brand, who was jailed earlier this week for 10-and-a-half years for rape and sexual assault, has also come up in recent days. The pair created scandal in 2008 for prank calling Fawlty Towers actor Andrew Sachs and making lewd comments about his granddaughter, who had previously been in a relationship with Brand. After trying to have the articles blocked via the courts, the Walliams allegations dominated the news agenda yesterday and have called into question a culture that previously allowed men like Walliams and Brand to flourish. Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy said “the allegations are the latest in a long line of reported abuses of power in an industry where we have known for so long that the power imbalances are huge.” Walliams has been dropped by his agent and his shows including Little Britain have been removed from BBC iPlayer. He is accused of using his celebrity to prey on women as young as 15, making contact with them through work, including on Britain’s Got Talent, to pursue them for sexual purposes. Deadline has contacted Walliams’ legal representatives for comment. In a statement to ITV News, Walliams denied all allegations against him. When trying to prevent publication of the articles, Walliams’ lawyers revealed that he had made two attempts to take his life because of the allegations. “I am not a sexual predator… I have not broken the law,” Walliams said. “I am devastated that some of the women I met ten to twenty years ago have now expressed hurt or anger towards me.” He continued: “Looking back, I realise that at times I behaved thoughtlessly towards other people I had casual sexual relationships with… I realise I did not always take people’s feelings properly into account. That is something I regret. And whilst a power imbalance is inevitable when one party is famous, abusing that power is something else entirely and it is something that I never did.”